Lament of the Succbus
by Niji Hitomi Kabra
Summary: It's never enough. Teasing, playing, coming, and it never brings satisfaction. Three times in a row and still the Hunger gnaws inside, craving something that cannot be replicated through toys alone. Will the blue-haired newcomer be enough to sate the inner beast? Warnings: AU, graphic sex, gender-shifts, yaoi
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Well, I've finished my editing for the most part. Here is the re-uploaded Lament of the Succubus! Ja ne, minna!

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It's not enough! Panting, and sweating and thoroughly exhausted but it's not enough. The figure on the bed gave a frustrated half growl, half sigh, and threw the now broken toy across the room. Three times in a row, and it still wasn't enough. Reflective amber eyes glared up into the darkness of the bedroom, the gloom of the night outside indicative of the gloom floating through her mind. Body bare to the world and still glistening from her exertions, the wind from the open window brought goose bumps across her lightly caramel skin. Her hair, partially slicked down with sweat, had escaped the elastic tie to fan around her head across the pillow in a halo of amber and other hues of the sunset.

The bed dipped lightly as her companion made his presence known. Emerald eyes, as reflective as her own, peered out of the darkness near her feet, and a voice like crushed velvet practically purred, "You're going to have to go hunting."

"I know." She growl-sighed again, as he padded his way silently up her body to nestle on her breastbone and stare at her face. His tail swished and tickled her belly button, while his whiskers twitched in annoyance and he aimed both conical ears towards her.

He shifted slightly so that his weight was resting on his chocolate tabby colored haunches and he lifted a pristine white paw to clean. Mid-lick he cocked an ear and met her eyes with a serious disdain. "I'm serious, Ichigo."

"I know, Ulquiorra!" She groaned, flinging her arm over her face.

He climbed off of her chest to perch on her nightstand like a gargoyle, staring down at her through the darkened room, his gaze stony and not accepting anything less than perfect obedience from his target. After a few moments of this scrutiny, Ichigo squirmed and flung her arm back from her face to glare at him.

"What?" She exasperated.

"Go."

"Ugh! You are so pushy!" She rolled her eyes and swung her legs off the bed, ignoring the clop of her feet on the floor and the swish of her tail behind her as it brushed the blankets back from where they'd been bunched at her hip.

These were dangerous signs, she knew, but there really was nothing she could do about it. She had to feed, and soon, or risk further changes. She'd nearly starved herself feral once when she'd first come into her powers, and it hadn't been a pretty sight bringing her back from the edge. Ulquiorra knew, he'd been there when her parents had gone feral, and it had been he who had rescued the child before they could kill her, leaving her with the humans who'd taken her in and raised her as their own.

He shook his head as he watched her dress; pulling on a red plaid pleated skirt that hung on her hips over rainbow tie-dyed thigh highs, a white baby-doll tee with a peek-a-boo slice across her cleavage, and a pair of chunky black knee high boots. She fastened a clunky, studded belt around her waist, roughly fifty gummy bands on each wrist, large hoop earrings with glittery blue stars hanging in the centers, and a ballet pink collar accented with rhinestones across the back and a rainbow pentacle on the D-ring. Finally, seeing as it was only just past the spring thaw, she grabbed a faux fur lined silver hoodie with cat ears. Her hair was piled in a mess on the top of her head, and held in place by a pair of fiberglass chopsticks with a glass bead on the ends.

"So? How do I look?" She spun around, letting her skirt flare a tiny bit, just enough to show that she wasn't wearing shorts underneath.

"Like a candy factory threw up on you." The feline sighed again, and hopped down from her nightstand. "But it will have to do. Now, go on, before your tail pops out again."

She almost pouted but held it in for the sake of getting out the door faster. If there was one thing she hated more than hunting, it was listening to Ulquiorra moaning about her not hunting. Stepping out of her apartment building into the brisk air of early March, she paused for a moment to inhale the frost on the air. Some of her previous tension lessened in the cold air.

For some reason she could go longer during the winter without hunting than the summer. Perhaps it had something to do with the way her parents had raised her, to enjoy the snow. Her feline familiar was shocked to learn that she enjoyed playing in the frozen white stuff, and had promptly locked himself in his cat tower the entire day after their first snowfall together.

Laughing at the memory, Ichigo made her way down the street to the club not too far from her home. Being this late it should be easy pickings. Most of the patrons who were looking for a good time off the bat would have left, but the ones who were trying to work up the nerve to ask someone to come home with them would just be cresting their alcohol induced buzz, settling somewhere between fuzzy and sloshed. That was just what she wanted. Some fairly innocent nobody that had either only ever slept with their partners or a virgin. Virgins were the most satisfying, having never been brought to orgasm by anyone before, their climaxes were always higher, and their buttons brand new. So to someone like her? It was like filet mignon!

The door opened easily enough, and the bouncer just inside, a large brute of a man with a weakness for kittens, nodded at her as she took off her hoodie. "Ohisa, Sado-kun!" She greeted him jovially and received a second nod.

She could already feel the thumping of the music downstairs, and around the curved staircase she could see the flashing of the lights. Shuuhei, the DJ, was in full swing, and Ichigo's hips just itched to be out in the throng of people. Why had she even tried to fix the problem herself?! This was so much better! Especially since the flashing lights and free-flowing alcohol let her relax her guard enough that none of the humans around her noticed that her amber eyes glowed gold as she drank in the sexual tension of the dance floor. Greeting the bartender and the DJ with a small wave she snagged and drained her first (of many) alcoholic drinks and let the Hunger take over.

Three hours into her partying, she was grinding against a man that looked like an ex-rock star with his chin length dirty blonde hair and scruffy chin, and with a woman that had skin the color of milk chocolate and eyes almost as yellow as her own. The music had the three locked in a battle of wills, and both women had all of their attention on the man between them. Ichigo's eyes flashed and the other woman grinned at her, revealing particularly sharp canines.

_Like hell I'm gonna let some obaasan steal my Target_, Ichigo thought, and she let her left hand ghost down the man's open army green button-up shirt to snake around the meeting of his cream colored wife beater and dark green cargo pants, her nails just grazing the skin. She knew that they would leave trails of fire where she touched, it was part of the spell to bring her Target as close to climax as possible, and judging by the tightness of the crotch of his pants, the war between the women was definitely driving him wild. Then the other woman pulled a dirty trick.

Ichigo just had the man turning towards her when the other woman used her claws to slice open his wife beater revealing a chest tattoo; a horizontal crescent moon enclosed in an equilateral diamond with four lines extending from the points. Around that was a pair of bisecting rectangles with jagged stars on each of the four furthest sides from the moon. All of this was done in the darkest black ink Ichigo had ever seen, and she snarled, eyes flashing and fury drawing her delicate umber brows into a deep glare.

"How dare you!" She screamed, though was barely heard over the music.

"Sorry, 'hime." The woman chuckled. "It was fun playing with you while we could, but this one's mine. Has been for a long, long time."

The man had the decency to look abashed at having led Ichigo on, before he pulled a rolled up bucket hat out of his back pocket and placed it on his head, covering his eyes and the faint staining of pink across his cheeks. "Sorry, love."

Ichigo huffed, and threw another snarling hiss over her shoulder as she stormed off the dance floor. It wasn't the first time she'd come across another one like her outside of her nakama, but usually they had the honor to inform her beforehand. Settling in for a class A sulk over a Tequila Sunrise, Ichigo huffed again, her tail lashing behind her. It was hidden under the curve of the florescent bar where she leaned so she could continue to glare at the pair of voyeurs still grinding wantonly on the dance floor.

The heavily tattooed bartender replaced her Sunrise as soon as she drained it, "Aw, don't let 'em get ya down, Ichigo-san." He rumbled behind her.

Cocking her head back over her shoulder, she took in his black wife beater that seemed to bleed out from the tribal lines adoring his biceps and pectorals. "Yeah, I know, Renji-kun. It just drives me crazy when they come out of nowhere. Especially like that!" She violently waved her arm at the _still_-grinding couple. A faint growl entered her voice, "And what's the big idea with bringing her Marked One out in public where anybody could try to take a bite out of him?!"

Renji sighed and ran a hand over his crimson ponytail, "I dunno, Ichigo-san. I dunno." He knew full well what the female Encantadas was looking for, but he also knew that he couldn't help.

Most of the workers at the club knew, but just like Renji, they couldn't help her. His tattoos weren't just for show. As with the man on the dance floor, Renji was a Marked One. Meaning he had a tattoo embedded in the skin of his chest marking him to all others that he was off limits for feeding. Shuuhei and Sado were the same way. It would be unbecoming to call their partners 'Master' but originally that was what the mark meant. These days the word '_Shujin_' was more appropriate, as the bond between demon and Marked One was more balanced and equal than it had been in the past. There were those that still maintained the distance of Master to Servant but most were closer to their Marked Ones than even some of the members of their own Coven.

The bartender met the DJ's eyes across the dance floor. They had both witnessed Ichigo's failure, and simultaneously they sighed. Renji waved her off when she reached into her shirt to pay him, and the smile he got in return was almost worth bearing the sadness and Hunger in her eyes.

"I'm gonna head out, Renji-kun. Give my regards to Byakuya-sama." The young female sighed again, downing the last swallow of her fourth (fifth?) Sunrise, and moving away from the bar towards the exit.

She almost got out of the club in one piece, but as Sado held the door open for her she blindly landed in the arms of someone she could only describe as sex-on-legs. Her eyes flashed brilliant gold as she stared blatantly up into the deepest cerulean ocean she'd ever witnessed. There was a feral smirk on his face and one matching blue eyebrow arched as he felt her shiver through his hands on her elbows. Her jaw dropped, revealing canines that were slightly too long to be normal, and his smirk grew into a full on leer.

He steadied her on her feet, and rumbled in a voice that was more vibration than sound, "Hey there. Leaving so soon?"

She nodded slowly, suddenly finding her mouth extremely dry and her vocal chords seemed to have abandoned her. Without thinking she reached a trembling hand up to touch one of the wisps of sky blue hair that hung down into his face, and his leer softened as he accurately read the flecks of gold still swirling through the amber of her normal iris color.

He sighed sympathetically. "I'm sorry, little one, but you're barking up the wrong tree." At her confusion, he chuckled and continued, "You've got the wrong equipment to satisfy me."

With that he brushed past her and into the club, leaving the scent of mint and crushed pine drawing her back around towards the door. Sado raised another eyebrow at her, and without realizing it her tail swished back and forth behind her.

For the first time, the large bouncer spoke. "Ichigo-sama, he is gay."

"Yeah, I got that, Sado-kun. But you know as well as I that I can fix that problem." She gave him a knowing look, and he blushed deeply under his dark sepia skin, thinking about the way his _Shujin_ liked to accommodate him. Her mood brightened considerably since running into her new Target, she spun on her heel and walked off her head high and a sway in her hips. Waving her hand in a dismissive manner next her head, she called, "Give my best to Uryuu-san!" And Sado's blush deepened.

Back at her apartment, Ulquiorra glared at her. "You said you were going hunting!"

"I did!" She giggled, and twirled around the living with her hoodie before flopping back on the couch. She sighed deeply, already spinning her mental wheels on how to entrap her Target.

She barely flinched when Ulquiorra leapt from his perch onto her stomach, but she did look down at him when he flexed his claws into her skin. "Then where is he?" He bared his teeth, disappointment all across his face.

"Oh! I can't get him like this." She rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Ulquiorra growled softly, and she answered him with a huff, "I can't! He's gay." She rolled her eyes again, beginning to scowl at her Familiar. The stick in the mud was really starting to get on her nerves about this whole thing.

"What?!" He leaned as close to her face as he could get without touching her with his whiskers. His ears were pinned back and his claws extended painfully into her collar bones.

"He's gay. I have to switch genders to catch him." She sat up, dumping the feline menace onto her lap and crossing her arms under her chest. "I know you can help me do it."

Ulquiorra groaned. "Do you realize how complicated this is? How draining this will be?"

The scowl on her face deepened, "You mean you can't do it?"

"I didn't say that. It's just going to be complicated. You're genetically female, and you'll stay genetically female, no matter what gender you portray on the outside, you know that right?" The cat looked up at her with real concern in his emerald eyes. He sighed deeply, "Are you sure you want to do this, Ichigo?" The Encantadas scowled again, but her Familiar stopped the words already forming on her lips. "Because once you change you won't be able to change back until you feed. You won't have enough energy. You barely have enough energy now. There could be complications." He sighed heavily. "It will take several weeks to ensure everything is properly set up. You could very well go feral before I am ready to help you. So, please Ichigo," He put his paws on her chest again so that he could stare deep into her eyes, "are you absolutely sure?"

"Yeah. I want this, 'Quio. I could smell him, even after he left!" She got that dreamy, giggly look on her face again and she sighed unconsciously slipping into her male speech pattern. "I've never smelled anyone as delicious as him." She focused on Ulquiorra again, "D'you think he could be my One?!"

"I hope so, koibito." The feline sighed, bumping his head against her chin. His previous frustration drained from him with a small purr. She reached up and scratched his ears, letting her nails extend into her natural claws for a deeper sensation. His purr thrummed through her chest as he began to knead at her thigh and curl his tail around her arm.

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**Glossary:  
**

**Encantadas** – Succubus/Incubus; pansexual demon that requires Essence to survive; able to Shift appearance in all ways including gender; Hunts humans; all but Marked Ones are killed when their Essence is drained.  
**Essence** – human soul obtained through sexual gratification  
**Shift** – changing one's appearance to match that of the Target's desires  
**Hunt** – the act of selecting and attracting a Target  
**Target** – the human an Encantadas has chosen to feed from  
**Marked One** – special human that can be fed from without dying; sports a black tattoo on the chest that acts as a two way conduit sharing Essence between human and Encantadas; sometimes called a Mark.  
_**Shujin**_ – the name Marked Ones use for their Encantadas partner.  
**Coven** – group of 6 Encantadas and 1 Elder  
**Elder** – an Encantadas that has proven to be exceptionally strong, either through age, aura strength or number of Marked Ones  
**_meshi_** – derogatory term for Targets, usually used after the act of feeding, similar to "trash"  
**Familiar** – feline partner, advisor, and sensei; every Encantadas has one; not immortal but extremely long-lived; Ulquiorra is the oldest, but was only a kitten when Yamamoto's Original Familiar died. Familiars are trained by Elders.  
**High Council** – Collection of the 8 Elder Encantadas and the _Nyotei_, though there has not been a _Nyotei_ in all but Yamamoto's memory.  
_**Nyotei**_ – the Head Elder Encantadas  
**_Ryoushi_** – humans that hunt Encantadas, a la Professor Abraham Van Helsing from Bram Stoker's Dracula


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Warning! Graphic smut! Look for the "Here There Be Smut" signs.

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"Well, how does it look?" Ichigo spun around to face Ulquiorra. The waist-length sunset hair had been chopped to a messy frame work of soft spikes. Gone were the soft, sleek curves of a woman, replaced with lithe, sinewy muscle. His—formerly her—frame was defined with a swimmer's build, long and graceful. His tail swayed back and forth with a mind of its own, displaying his curiosity.

He rubbed his chin and glanced back at the mirror. "I'm glad I won't have to shave. That would be a pain."

"You look fine, Ichigo." Ulquiorra paced around his master's ankles appraising everything now that the spell had completed its job. The previously drawn symbols had faded from the floor, and the air of the bedroom was only faintly still pulsing with electricity. "Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised. It has been a long time since anyone has attempted a Shift of such magnitude at the levels of Hunger you currently display, but I have to ask, Ichigo, why didn't you change your coloration? Are you so certain that all you have to be is male to catch this Target?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and scowled again. It was beginning to become his trademark, and his new masculine features sported it better than previously. "That's the third time you've asked that, 'Quio. Give it a rest. I won't know until I see him again, but if he's my One, then yeah. All it takes is matching his desires once, and he'll be caught. How many times do we have to go over this before you believe me when I tell you I've got this?!" He threw his hands up in the air and stalked to his closet.

With a huff he started digging through the clothing there, making a mental note to send for a change of wardrobe from the High Council. He and Ulquiorra had been able to procure a few changes of clothing, but the stipend given to an Encantadas of Ichigo's level wasn't very much to buy frivolities like extra clothing. He settled on a pair of extremely skinny jeans belted with the same studded belt as before, and a white tee-shirt with an odd looking black skull on the front. Sitting back on the bed, he pulled a pair of athletic socks on before donning his newest accessories; a black leather cuff on his left wrist and a wallet with a chain that reached half way down his thigh.

"Wish me luck, 'Quio." He threw a snarky grin over his shoulder while slipping into a pair of white slip-ons with a small chunky black sole.

The feline sniffed and curled around himself, wrapping his tail over his paws but under his chin, on the back of the couch. "Yeah, yeah."

With a chuckle, and grabbing his hoodie, black with a white stripe pattern now rather than silver and sans cat ears, Ichigo stepped out into the rapidly cooling night of late May. He pulled a set of ear buds from his pocket, and as soon as the music started assaulting his eardrums his steps adjusted to the beat. Riding high was hardly a description for his mood. He was certain that he'd find his Target and this time the gorgeous blue-haired man wouldn't escape.

It only took about ten minutes to reach the club. Sado was standing out front, arms crossed over his expansive chest, and glaring down at a whimpering short male with auburn hair. The small person seemed to be trying to enter the club, and had obviously done something to set the giant off. Ichigo almost whistled in astonishment, as it was difficult to get under the stoic bouncer's skin. About the only thing he could think of was to either abuse something innocent, or attempt to manhandle Orihime, Uryuu's Familiar. Another glance at the situation found the small, orange tabby perched on Sado's shoulder, peering down at the shivering young man.

Uh huh, that's what happened. _Bet he tried to pick her up_, Ichigo thought, sauntering straight up to the pair with no concern. "Oi! Sado. Hime-chan okay?" He dropped the honorifics when he was male for most people, as only a few knew he was same Ichigo. So, it helped keep up appearances to change his speech patterns.

"Hm." Sado jerked his chin in an affirmative before lifting the small feline from his shoulder and handing her to his friend.

Ichigo cuddled Orihime and scratched behind her ears, mindful of the blue barrettes Uryuu used to keep her abnormally long ear fluff out of her face. His claws extended slightly, similar to what he did with Ulquiorra, and brought the same rattling purr from the smaller cat. She closed her eyes and snuggled into his arm, kneading the muscle, gratefully.

In the meantime, Ichigo joined Sado in glaring at the newcomer. "Feh." The scowl darkened Ichigo's features, and the amber of his eyes darkened into almost brown. "What'd he want with her?"

"I just wanted to pet her. Honest!" The auburn haired male practically threw himself onto his knees as Ichigo's aura bore down on him. Sado was intimidating enough, but Ichigo was able to actually put weight on the simpering idiot. A few seconds under the Encatandas' glower and the human was panting, sweat pouring down his neck into the white dress shirt that was obviously part of some company's uniform.

"That's enough, Ichigo-san." A cool tenor cut across the situation. "I will take Orihime-san home. See you there at the end of your shift, Do-koi." The slender male with uneven ebony hair and wire-frame glasses stepped up to cuddle the small tabby against his chest. He stood before Sado expectantly, and the large man bent over to place a chaste kiss on the ivory skin of Uryuu's cheek. "Good evening, Ichigo-san. Pleasant hunting." He gave a small bow of respect to them both, stepped over the cowering human, and made his way down the street.

The cool intervention of Uryuu's aura was enough to help the human stop sweating, and Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Fine. Want me to let him go, Sado?"

"Hai." Was all the young Encantadas received as the bouncer resumed his position inside the club's outer door. Just as Ichigo was entering past him, Sado put a hand on his shoulder. Looking up the Encantadas raised an eyebrow, and received an answering eyebrow with a pointed look at his behind. Peering over his shoulder, the swaying of his tail caught his attention. He gave an exasperated growl and closed his eyes, drawing his scowl deeper in concentration to make the appendage disappear. It was getting to be almost impossible. Target or no, he had to feed tonight or risk going feral, if the sweat on his brow was any indication.

"Thanks." Just before he took the stairs down to the club proper, he asked, "You coming to the meeting after closing time?" Sado nodded and Ichigo smiled.

Several hours into dancing, drinking and general clubbing Ichigo finally found a Target worth his time. It wasn't The One but she looked like someone nobody would miss. He watched her dance across the floor towards his position at the bar, dressed in a vinyl mini skirt, matching halter top that left her breast bone exposed, thigh high boots in contrast to her clothes, and pig tails long enough to reach her ribs in spite of being on the top of her head.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow over the rim of his glass as he lounged against the bar. Meeting the girl's eyes, he brought the glass down and licked his upper lip as if removing traces of the drink he was holding. She smirked at the blatant message, but kept coming.

"Well, hi." He growled lowly when she came into hearing range.

She tossed her head and flashed a smile that would make human men shiver in their jeans, but Ichigo just set his drink down on the bar and uncrossed his ankles to let her come closer.

"You think you've got what it takes, sunset boy?" The girl sneered, deliberately pressing between his legs.

He chuckled and bent down to murmur in her ear, breathing in her scent and leaving the beginnings of his power on her pulse point. "That and more, cupcake." No more words were spoken as he stood, holding her close to his body, and began grinding against her. She looked up and met his eyes, and at that moment his control over her was absolute. His irises filled with gold and she let him take her through a back door to a plush sitting room.

**~*~Here There Be Smut~*~**

As soon as the door was closed and locked he assaulted her neck, flickering over her pulse point, sucking and nipping. He made quick work of her halter top, letting his claws slice the straps. Bare from the waist up, she was pushed down onto the round, backless couch. He bent over her and rolled one breast in his hand while sucking on the other, bringing both nipples to hardness quickly with a soft infusion of power. Her breathing increased and he inhaled deeply over her breast bone, switching to continue teasing both of her breasts with his hands. His tail appeared and he used it between their legs to pull off her panties. Taking another deep taste of her scent, he stood up leaving her whimpering for his touch. He made quick work of his shirt and stepped out of his shoes. Then kneeling between her spread legs, he drew her hips to the edge of the couch.

He lifted her skirt so he could nuzzle her slicked folds. She whined at the ghosting touch and almost closed her thighs, but his strong hands on either side kept her pinned open to his teasing. Her own hands flew to her nipples when he dipped his tongue into her slit for the first time, and her moan told him her eyes were closed. Diving in deeper, he brought his aura into play, enhancing her sensitivity while planting the suggestion she not even think about opening her eyes. Under his touch she arched her back, moaning and dug her boots into the plush carpet.

The slow heat building from her muff brought a sympathetic reaction in Ichigo's jeans. Using his tail, he added penetration to his vicious ministrations Her orgasm wasn't far, and he could feel the stirring of his hunger pushing his horns to the surface. Another few strokes had her spasming under his grip, and he shoved the tip of his tail deep into her cavern to prolong her pleasure.

As soon as she hit the peak of her climax he removed his tail and gripped her inner folds with his fangs sucking deeply. Her moan of pleasure became a scream as the color drained from her face, and the shadow on the wall revealed Ichigo's large bat-like wings stretched out and above his back and digitigrade solid hooves digging into the carpet for balance. After a few moments of repetitive deep sucks the girl's color had completely left her skin, and her eyes stared off into the darkness of the room, soulless and empty.

**~*~Thus Ends Smut~*~**

Ichigo rocked back, his tail leveling out for balance, and took his claws from her thighs, leaving ten identical puncture wounds on the bare flesh. He stood up and drew the back of his right wrist across his mouth, then licked the remaining juices and blood from his arm. He swallowed her taste with a small smack of his lips. All of his non-human features disappeared, except for a glint of gold rimming the irises of his eyes.

"Better?"

Gold eyes flashed and orange spikes whipped back as Ichigo dropped into a crouch, claws extended and ready for anything. The cool, silver flecked steel-grey gaze that met his own brought his fight response down and he stood back up to slip on his shoes sans socks, as they'd been shredded when he transformed.

"Hey, Byakuya." Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck.

The taller, ebony haired male merely blinked and crossed the distance from the door to the circular couch. He looked over Ichigo's kill with a calculating blank stare. "Well done."

"Thanks, I guess." The sunset-haired Encantadas moved over to pick up the dead girl's shirt. He held it up for a moment and then sighed. A delicately sculpted midnight eyebrow prompted him to speak his mind. "Two weeks ago I'd have killed her just for this shirt alone." He held it up to his still bare, but masculine, chest and looked down at it. "Hmm, I still might be able to pull it off, but I don't think _he_ would be interested in it. Want to give it to Rukia?" Ichigo met Byakuya's eyes again, and almost laughed when the flash of horror crossed the otherwise stoic Encantadas' face.

"Not in any world will my little sister ever be caught in that contraption the _meshi_ tried to call a shirt." The disgust at the idea of his sister wearing the shirt almost disguised the derogatory word he used to describe the dead girl on the couch.

Ichigo snickered, pulling his own tee-shirt back on. "I don't think Renji would appreciate that description, Byakuya." He didn't give the elder a chance to answer. "Mah. I won't tell him if you do your thing about the girl. It should be just about meeting time. Abayo." He closed the door on the fairly gruesome scene and reentered the club more alive than he had been only an hour before.

He surveyed the scene, debating another snack before the meeting. Ulquiorra would probably recommend it, but were there any worthwhile targets? He made his way back over to the bar and Renji's company. Halfway there a flash of bright blue caught his eye and his breath. _He_ was here, and dressed to kill in a white wife beater, cargo jeans, combat boots and enough finger jewelry to make a full set of brass knuckles for each hand! The gold lit up his eyes again for a moment and he dropped his ambling pace for a more predatory skirt of the crowd around to where Sex-on-Legs was leaning against the wall nursing a glass that had to have been a test tube on steroids with a drink that positively glowed and Ichigo was sure it had fizzed when it was first poured. He waited until his Target took the last swig from the bottom of the tube, then he made his move.

Sex-on-Legs had just pushed off the wall when Ichigo casually stepped into his path looking over his shoulder and laughing as though he just left someone on the dance floor. He turned his head just in time to have his nose buried into Sex's chest; for the second time but his Target didn't know that. He bounced back on his toes and tried to act surprised.

"Hey! You're lucky I finished my drink just now." Sex smiled down at him; the same smirk he'd used the last time.

Ichigo almost melted, his mouth already wet from the scent of his Target. "S-sorry." He pretended to stutter and rubbed his nose. "I didn't see you." He laughed.

"'S'alright." Sex ran his free hand through his hair, a few strands escaping his fingers to fall across his forehead. "What's your name?"

"Ichigo. You?" He smirked back, gold rings around his eyes as he applied a tiny amount of his aura to his attention.

"It's Grimmjow. I haven't seen you around before. You new?" A not-too-bushy eyebrow raised in interest, and he made a motion with his head towards the bar.

Starting off towards the bar at an easy pace in line with Grimmjow, Ichigo smiled up at the taller male. "I've been around, but I usually don't hang out very long. It's hard to find anything that lasts longer than a few hours in a place like this. You?"

The eyebrow cocked again, and cerulean eyes traced the lines of Ichigo's body appreciatively. "I don't know. I've only been coming to this club for a few weeks, and I might've found something a bit longer than a few hours. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Grimmjow leaned in a little closer to Ichigo, the heat of his lightly sweating body filling the smaller male's aura with that tantalizing scent. His eyes spoke of the naughty things he'd like to do to Ichigo in a back room, and the Encantadas did nothing to dissuade those ideas. If anything, this would be a proving ground; if Sex-on-Legs could handle one of Ichigo's blowjobs, he could take anything. The trick would be in getting the blunette alone.

"I just might, but y'know, nothing comes for free." Ichigo slipped a little bit more of his power into the word 'comes' as they approached the bar. The orangette leaned across the neon surface, letting his rear end be framed by his jeans, and before Renji sauntered his way over, Ichigo felt Grimmjow's gaze run across his aura again.

"Well, what are you drinking, Ichigo-san?" Grimmjow asked, leaning just a little too close for propriety's sake.

Ichigo made eye contact with Renji, before locking stares with Grimmjow. "I'll have a Hypnotiq in one of those test tubes." Gold poured into cerulean and Ichigo slowly licked his lips, delighted as he watched the azure follow his tongue.

Grimmjow smirked again. "Yeah? How about a Tequila Sunrise for me and a Hypnotiq for my new friend here." His voice was starting to get husky, and the baritone rumbled pleasantly over Ichigo's ears.

Renji moved quickly, catching a Hunt when he saw it. It was rare that Ichigo let his Target lead. So, it was only a few moments before both drinks were ready. Renji watched as the pair moved off to a darker corner of the club, close to another of the back room doors. Ichigo was in the lead but it was obvious that the blue-haired Target was still controlling how fast things went. The crimson haired bartender shook his head with an amused half smile.

"So, how many Hypnotiqs is it going to take for me to get into those tight ass jeans of yours, Ichigo?" Grimmjow lifted his Sunrise to hide his smirk, but left the hunger in his eyes.

Ichigo tipped his head back and deliberately made the Target watch his Adam's apple bob as he took a long, deep swallow of the neon blue alcohol. "I don't know. How many Sunrises will it take to let me suck your cock?"

Ichigo almost lost his game when Grimmjow barked out a laugh loud enough to draw the attention of several of the closest dancers. "I like you, Kitten! Not straight but definitely direct!" He took a long draw on the straw of the fruity drink and met Ichigo's eyes again.

"Well?" The orangette licked his lips again, his gaze displaying his honesty.

Grimmjow actually purred as he took in the gold in Ichigo's irises. "Mmm, I'd say this'd do it." He finished the drink in one long draw, intending on duplicating Ichigo's trick with the test tube.

Ichigo one-upped him though by taking the tube itself into his mouth to lick the last few drops from the bottom of the rounded glass, and Grimmjow couldn't stop the astonished gulp as that movement went straight to his already straining pants. The orange-headed Encantadas caught everything and smiled seductively, holding out a hand gracefully.

When Grimmjow stared at it a little dumbfounded, still rocked by the image of Ichigo deep-throating the glass, Ichigo chuckled, "Unless you'd like me to do it here where everyone can watch, I suggest we move to one of the back rooms." That sound broke his trance and Grimmjow took Ichigo's hand.

The back room was very similar to the one from before, but this one's couch had a back, and the color scheme was different, not that either of the males noticed. The second that they were alone Ichigo was wrapped around Grimmjow, his mouth locked with the blunette's in a battle for dominance. Grimmjow won the tongue war, but Ichigo maneuvered them both back to the couch and pushed his Target onto the cushions. He dropped to his knees between Grimmjow's legs and looked hungrily at the larger man's crotch.

**~*~Here There Be Smut~*~**

Grimmjow opened his belt easily, and as soon as it was out of the way Ichigo dove in for the button and zipper keeping him away from his meal. Mere moments after the thick, weeping flesh of Grimmjow's arousal was freed from its cloth prison, Ichigo was all over it. He drew the tip into his mouth, sucking and lapping up every drop of the sinful liquid. Grimmjow let his head fall back onto the couch cushion, a deep growling moan tearing its way from his throat. As Ichigo took more of his shaft into his mouth, Grimmjow's toes curled and he bit his lip to keep from being more vocal than his pride allowed. Then Ichigo ran his hands up Grimmjow's thighs, pressing his thumbs into the sensitive pressure points on both, and another moan tore from the blunette's core. The coil of pleasure within his abdomen began to wind tighter and tighter with every delicious swallow Ichigo's talented mouth took of his over-heated flesh. It wouldn't be long, and he just had to see that orange-haired head as it did what it did to him.

It took all of Ichigo's concentration to not allow his tail to appear, but the joy of getting to sample something of what the blunette had to offer was just too much. The prehensile appendage waved languidly behind him and he deep-throated the final inch, pressing his tongue into the triangle of muscles at the base of Grimmjow's erection. As such he didn't see the blue-haired man tilt his head back up and open his eyes.

**~*~Thus Ends Smut~*~**

A single swallow while his manhood was deep-throated was all it took to send him over the edge, but the sight of Ichigo sucking him dry like a pro was shattered as his lust-hazy gaze tracked the moving thing behind his worshipper. As his eyes locked on the red-striped, white column erupting from the back of Ichigo's pants, his brain missed a circuit and he shouted, "What the fuck!" Jumping back further into the cushions, effectively pulling his very quickly softened privates from the cavern of warmth.

Ichigo jumped back confused as well, a trail of semen running down his chin as his gaze shot up to his Target's only to find that the blunette was staring at something behind him. He turned and looked, thinking maybe the door was open, but finding nothing, almost turned back around before catching sight of his tail. Immediately he bit his lip and felt his stomach drop from his abdomen to the floor. He turned back around, terrified to see what Grimmjow was undoubtedly thinking.

"I can ex—"

Grimmjow cut him off. "What the fuck, Ichigo!? What is that?!" The blunette was moving quickly, his jeans closed and he was scooting down the couch, all of his muscles tense and ready to bolt.

Quickly weighing his options, the only one that seemed to at all be able to placate his Target was honesty. "My tail."

"Well, fuck. I can see that, moron. I mean, why the fuck do you have a tail? What sort of freak are you!?" Grimmjow was almost on his feet now, and Ichigo was certain that if he managed it he'd be out the door and that would be the last the Encantadas ever saw of the Sex-on-Legs.

"It's complicated. Please, let me just explain and I'm sure you'll—"

Grimmjow cut him off again. "Fuck that! You just keep your freaky, whatever-the-fuck-you-are away from me! I don't care how good in bed you are, that's just fucked up!"

It was now or never as the blunette sprang off the couch, quickly heading for the door without taking his eyes off of Ichigo's tail once. He turned his body so that his back was completely away from the orangette the entire time. So, Ichigo leapt from his position on his knees to grab at Grimmjow's belt loops.

"Please?" He begged, "Just let me ex—" SMACK! Ichigo found himself thrown to the ground, his face smarting from where he was back-handed.

"Don't fucking touch me, freak! Just keep the fuck away from me!" Was the last thing Ichigo heard before the door slammed shut.

Alone, rejected like no one ever had before, and still reeling from literally the best Essence the young Encantadas had ever tasted, Ichigo did the only thing his overwhelmed body could do. He curled into a ball, his offensive tail wrapped around his hooves and a wing bursting out through his shirt courtesy of the thumb claw to wrap over his shaking body like velveteen blanket.

Why his cheeks were wet he couldn't understand. Ichigo didn't cry. Even as a female he didn't cry. He hit things. If a Hunt didn't go the right way he would beeline it back to his apartment where he had a punching bag set up in second bedroom of his apartment. Then he would spend the next several whatever-the-fucks it took to work out his frustration, much to Ulquiorra's irritation. Occasionally he'd fight himself into unconsciousness moving from punching the bag to wielding an over-sized butcher knife in a vicious round of sword katas and back again. Over and over and over until the anger and pain and rejection and, above all else, the Hunger receded from his mind and left him pleasantly numb.

But this time was different. Why?! His mind screamed at him. His chest hurt more than his cheek, though he could feel blood drying on his face from where Grimmjow's rings had cut him. The worst was his stomach. He wrapped his arms around it where the Essence he'd eaten churned and boiled from the immediate rejection. He wanted to vomit but his body wouldn't let him. He could feel his inner soul drinking up the blunette's Essence like a drug. He already needed more. His body addicted to it from the first drop.

There was no doubt in his mind, Grimmjow was his One, and he'd fucked it up so badly he'd be lucky if he could detox without having to be hospitalized. No, he wouldn't be able to find a substitute. He knew that much for certain through the haze of his reaction. He would die before he soiled his lips with another's Essence. If he couldn't have Grimmjow, he'd starve.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay, minna! Enjoy.

* * *

Outside the back room, Renji was cleaning the bar when he caught Ichigo's Target bolting for the door. Touching a button under the bar to alert Sado, the bartender threw his towel over his shoulder and followed the blunette to the entrance. He caught up to the other man just as Sado stopped him, though he was loudly swearing about being held against his will.

"Oi! Blue! Settle down!" Renji called out, taking the last bit of steps three at a time.

"Settle down?! SETTLE DOWN?! How the fuck am I supposed to settle down when this fucking mountain won't let me fucking leave?!" The blue haired man was trembling and very pale. His belt was still open, and he hadn't bothered to put his leather jacket on, merely death-gripping it in his hand. The white of his knuckles made the trace of blood stand out worse than if he'd just relaxed.

Renji stepped up closer, his hands up in a manner that was both non-threatening and ready to defend himself if the Target tried anything funny. "Just tell me what the problem is and I'm sure my associate here will be happy to let you leave." He kept his voice steady and calm, in spite of beginning to get an idea of what happened.

"What's the problem? I'll tell ya what the problem is, jackass! Your club's full of freaks! All of 'em! They're either nasty, stuck up, or they've got fucking tails, man! And his eyes change color! I thought it was cool at first, but it's just another sign of just how fucked up he is, isn't' it?! I bet he's one of those mutated fuckers left over from the war decades ago. I bet he's got like eyes on his dick or some shit like that, too!" Grimmjow couldn't stop talking. He kept nattering on and on, his ideas getting more and more wild as he spoke.

The verbal diarrhea was a side effect of being fed upon, Renji knew personally how messed up one could get if they didn't relax after the fact. Basking in the afterglow wasn't just to enjoy the company of each other, it was to stem off the oftentimes psychotic episodes a Marked One could suffer from after the Encantadas fed. The fortunate thing was that it also filled in the gaps of what had happened between Ichigo and the blunette for both Renji and Sado.

A few minutes of spewing every possible and impossible idea that came to his head, Grimmjow stopped and his unoccupied hand flew to his forehead, a wave of disorientation flooding his mind. He stumbled and Sado caught him. Renji helped the bouncer take the now nauseous man out and around the corner of the club, where he promptly began to purge the brightly colored alcohol from his system rather violently.

This was another side effect of not enjoying the afterglow. Strictly speaking, having a creature suck on one's soul was not something the human body was designed to handle. In all honesty, humans were supposed to die when an Encantadas fed from them, but for some reason, certain humans when paired up with certain Encantadas didn't die. Those humans became Marked Ones, sporting an intricate and sensitive tattoo, branded over the breast bone and linking them for the duration of the human's life to the Encantadas that Marked them. According to Byakuya the Mark wasn't just to show other Encantadas that the human was 'owned', but it also allowed a certain amount of Essence to flow back to the human, which was the entire point of afterglow.

Sighing deeply and holding the leather motorcycle jacket, Renji looked disgustedly down at the shaking blunette trying to keep his stomach from crawling up his throat. "Stupid idiot." He mumbled. It was painfully obvious that the baka had not enjoyed his afterglow. It was possible that he hadn't enjoyed any of Ichigo's attention, but Renji seriously doubted that the blunette would be alive to feel like dying if he hadn't enjoyed at least part of it. There was a reason Ichigo lived on his own, in spite of his age.

Even Byakuya, who was almost strong enough to be called an Elder, and his sister, Rukia, lived together. It was just smarter that way. If one got too hungry to Hunt effectively, they had the other to provide for them. And if a _Ryoushi_, humans that hunted Encantadas for money, happened upon them, there was safety in numbers. But Ichigo lived alone. Close to Byakuya, Rukia, Ishida and the others, but far enough that if there was a real problem his Familiar would have trouble getting help. Ichigo didn't need it though. Other than sometimes going too long between Hunts, he was the strongest, most effective killer in the entire Coven. Even the High Council was wary of getting on Ichigo's bad side.

Case in point, the sunset Encantadas had gone all winter and then saw fit to change his gender before even seriously Hunting. If any of the others, even the Elders, attempted that, they would have gone feral before the spring thaw.

So, if this idiot was out here puking his guts out instead of languishing in Ichigo's incredible aura, Renji could only guess that he'd broken the one rule regarding sex with an Encantadas. He'd seen something of Ichigo's true form. His tail, if the blunette's ramblings were to be believed.

Renji shook his head again, meeting Sado's gaze over the blunette's back. They both nodded, no words needed to be exchanged in order to understand perfectly that this Target needed to be brought to the Coven's safe house to recover. Perhaps Orihime or Jushiro, Byakuya's Familiar, could help. Worst came to worst, Renji would fetch Ulquiorra, the oldest of the Familiars. Grabbing one arm, and Sado grabbed the other, the two of them half dragged, half carried Grimmjow the four blocks to the safe house.

Knowing Sado's dislike of Coven meetings, Renji left the blunette in the giant's capable hands and ran back to the club. Most of the dancers had already trickled out, the remaining few clustered up against Shuuhei's speakers, trying desperately to get the rugged DJ to pay attention to them.

"Alright, clear out!" Renji called upon re-entering the club proper. "We've got work to do and you floozies are gettin' in the way!" He snapped his towel at a couple of the cuter girls, herding them towards the stairs. Finally the only people left in the club where himself, Shuuhei, and Byakuya, who had reappeared from the left side of the DJ stand.

Shuuhei looked around confused as he set his headphones down. He absently scratched his right cheek, where three vertical scars displayed the first time he'd encountered an Encantadas. He had jumped in front of a _Ryoushi_ using a claw weapon trying to leap onto an Encantadas named Kensei. He'd saved the male, but had nearly been blinded in the process. If it hadn't been for the quick thinking of Kensei's Familiar, Hanataro, Shuuhei probably wouldn't have been able to see out of his right eye. Kensei killed the _Ryoushi_, and Shuuhei had tattooed the Encantadas' Mark on his left cheek in honor of the effort Hanataro had put into saving his eye. The scars didn't really bother him anymore, but whenever he was confused he absently scratched at them.

"Hey, Renji, where's Ichigo? Wasn't he here tonight?" The DJ stacked his records and dropped down to the dance floor with more grace than should be humanly possible.

Renji shrugged, and looked around the club's now brightly lit main room for some hint of which back room the young Encantadas had chosen. "He took in a Target just before I shut down the bar, but it went badly. I don't know which room he took, and I'd guess if he hasn't come out yet he wants to be alone. You know how they get when the Hunt goes wrong."

Shuuhei nodded, and both looked to Byakuya as the tall, ebony haired male approached them. "I am sure Ichigo-san is fine. This is not the first time his Target has gotten away from him. If he has not collected himself by the time the others arrive, I will track him down myself. I have no desire to fend off the constant barrage of inquiries as to his whereabouts all evening. The Coven very rarely gathers together, and I intend to enjoy the company of my fellows as fully as I can before dawn. Come, Renji, I hunger." The stoic Encantadas flowed seamlessly from one topic to the next and all Renji could do was roll his eyes, amused at the unflappable façade of his _Shujin_, as he followed Byakuya to the same back room Ichigo had used at the beginning of the night.

Shuuhei also shook his head and smiled, knowing just how fake Byakuya's nonchalance was, as he and his _Shujin_, Rukia, lived with Renji and Byakuya. As though thinking about the petite Encantadas could summon her, Rukia suddenly appeared in front of Shuuhei, dressed in a yellow sundress with orange daisies patterned over it. She leapt into his arms to be spun around with a gleeful giggle, which he gladly returned.

"Well, this is a first. Usually you're hanging around with Sado and Ishida before the meetings hoping to see the others before they come down here. What's the occasion?" Shuuhei beamed brightly as Rukia wrapped her pale legs around his waist and slipped her delicate fingers under the edge of the black collar he wore around his neck.

"Sado-kun wasn't up there. Ishida-san said something about not being able to be here tonight, and I couldn't resist pouncing you when I saw Nii-sama lead Renji off, leaving you standing here all yummy and alone." She giggled again, but then she scowled. "So, what happened? Worry is written all over the air in this place, and something else I can't quite put my finger on."

"Ichigo's Hunt failed tonight." Shuuhei instantly sobered as he spoke.

Rukia's brows knit together and she sighed. "I see. Did he at least get something to eat? Changing genders is extremely draining. He was laid up for weeks the last time he did it."

"Yes, Imouto. He fed on a girl before the failed Hunt." Byakuya's silky tenor had the petite female jumping back down to the floor to stand more composed in front of her brother.

"Nii-sama." She bowed respectfully, her own ebony hair falling into her face in spite of its much shorter length. When she stood straight again, a single unruly section split her forehead. She cast her gaze around the empty club, much in the same manner Shuuhei had a few minutes before. "Is there anything we can do? He usually doesn't take it very well when a Hunt fails."

"He will compose himself accordingly before anyone else arrives." Byakuya spoke with a tone that brokered no corner for disagreement. His meaning was clear. If Ichigo didn't put in his appearance, Byakuya was going to do it for him.

The group of three moved off to pull a round table to the middle of the dance floor, and after seating himself on a cushion, Byakuya directed Rukia and Shuuhei in gathering other cushions for the other members of their Coven expected to arrive shortly. A few minutes after the last of the pillows had been arranged, Renji returned from the back room as composed as usual, but for a slight paling of his skin around his tattoos. He gathered a pitcher of beer for the Marked Ones, enough glasses for the entire Coven, and a pot of tea for the Encantadas, most of whom refused to drink alcohol except when Hunting. Rukia joined Byakuya on the cushions and Shuuhei brought a stack of sake dishes and a bottle of cream from the kitchen behind the bar for the Familiars.

Just as the last of the cups, dishes, cushions, and a tray of finger foods was finished being set out the rest of the Coven arrived. Ishida led his second Mark, Tatsuki, a girl the same size as Rukia with choppy blue-black hair. He was followed by a scantily dressed female Encantadas named Kuukaku, who only had one arm and hair that looked like most had been burned off rather than cut. She was accompanied by only her Familiar, a large splotchy tabby named Ganju. After Kuukaku was their resident Elder, Gin, who was aptly named for the smile on his face. His chin length silver hair framed a wide, closed-mouth grin that forever squinted his eyes shut. Only his Marked Ones truly knew what color his eyes were. Perched on his shoulder was Momo, a chocolate point Siamese, who wrapped her tail around his neck like a collar. The younger of his two Marks, Kira, a pale and timid blonde haired man who hid behind his bangs more often than not, accompanied him, and before seating himself at the table, served Gin and Momo each a bowl of cream. The last of the Encantadas Coven members to arrive was Ururu, a quiet and deceptively timid child-like female with beetle-black hair that fell into her eyes, shadowing them from outside observers. She was rarely ever accompanied by either her Familiar or her Mark. Finally, as if they had nothing better to do, Jushiro and Shunsui, Byakuya and Rukia's white and black Familiars respectively, strolled down the steps.

Immediately the newcomers began looking for the brightest and youngest of their Coven, and questions were tossed back and forth too loudly and too quickly for anyone to answer effectively. It wound up in a mumbled mess of conversation with various people clamoring to be heard over everyone else, and at the same time trying to find seating where they could all hear each other without thinking about spreading out. The only ones who refrained from the jumble were Byakuya, Gin, Kira, Ururu, and Ishida.

When Byakuya tensed to stand, Gin placed a hand on his arm and made a gesture to one of the doors at the edge of the room. The ebony haired Encantadas glanced over just in time to see an orange and a tabby tail disappear into the darkness. Content that the Familiars would handle it, he relaxed with a nod of appreciation to the Elder.

After everyone settled around the table, Gin spoke, "Mah! Ev'rybody's chatterin' t'night! Makes it hard ta get a word in edgewise, yanno." He flashed a tiny bit of teeth to let everyone know he wasn't really angry, but Momo, still perched on his shoulder, licked her paw with disdain and a mutter that no one else heard except Gin, who grinned a bit more. He tilted his head, and if his eyes were more open it would be obvious that he was searching the room. "Mah! Where's Berry-tan? She's not here ta grace us with her laughter. Bya-kun, have ya seen her t'night?"

Knowing full well the Elder already knew, the tall male closed his eyes in tolerance, and explained for the rest of the Coven. "He has changed genders again, Gin-dono. Only a few weeks ago, he found himself a new Target. This evening he attempted a Hunt with this Target and it failed. I am afraid to say, rather badly. He has locked himself in one of the back rooms and refuses to answer entreaties about his condition." Byakuya covered his worry with a sip from his cup of tea.

Gin, on the other hand, gasped. "He's always getting' himself in over his head! Rukia-chan, is there anything we c'n do ta bring him out? He shouldn't be left ta deal with this alone." The fox-faced Encantadas Elder came as close to a real frown as he ever did, his mouth a straight line across his face.

Rukia shook her head, but was cut off by Ishida before she could say anything. "Gin-dono, I was in touch with my Mark, Sado, before the beginning of the meeting and he informed me that he has the Target sequestered in the safe house. Apparently the Target caught sight of Ichigo-san's tail and panicked. He has also reacted very badly to the feeding." He, too, knew that the Elder was already aware, and tried to keep the irritation from his voice. These word games Gin enjoyed strained his already thin patience.

"Damnit! There's a reason we've got a rule against peeking for Kami's sake!" The one-armed Encantadas slammed her mug of beer on the table making Ururu jump, clearly irritated. "Blasted pup deserves every ounce o' pain he gets fer peeking at Ichigo!"

"I don't believe the terms of feeding were explained to him, Kuukaku-san." Byakuya intoned followed by another sip of his tea.

"Well, why the hell not!? If Ichigo's been Hunting this Target for this long, why'd he jump it without explaining shit!?" She swore again, this time glaring into her almost empty mug.

Ishida, who also had tea, chimed in again, "He was unable to find his Target again until this evening. He was harassing Sado almost every night before closing time for hints about the blue-haired menace."

"Hmm. Blue-haired, ya say, 'Shida-kun?" Gin leaned forward a bit, his grin returned and a slight crack to the slits of his eyes. Not enough to see color, but it was enough to show that he had latched onto that detail.

"Is there something special about blue hair, Gin-dono?" Rukia queried, suddenly more worried about her friend than before.

Gin swung his head, a bit like a snake, to look at the petite Encantadas. "Oh hai! There's a legend about a blue-haired consort, but that's jus' an ol' nursery tale. Nobody's holdin' their breath fer stuff like that." Most of the faces around the table visibly relaxed and began chatting amongst themselves about how to lure Ichigo out of his seclusion, but one or two noticed Gin's eyes opened just a tiny bit more, enough for a flash of red.

Ururu watched the conversation, her dark, bottomless eyes focusing on each speaker in turn. As one of the few who met and held Gin's gaze, she gently cleared her throat. "Yamamoto-kakka must be informed, Gin-dono. This is something beyond—" Her soft as clouds voice was silenced by a small shift in the position of the Elder's hand on his bowl of cream.

The Elder let the conversation wander for a while, enjoying his cream and the ebb and flow of energy and Essence among the Coven. This was the real reason for the meeting. Not everyone was as successful as Ichigo during their Hunts, and to help tie everyone over from Hunt to Hunt the Coven needed this connection with each other. They needed to be nakama. Even Marked Ones added to the health and stability of the Coven. So, while they really weren't encouraged to chat with each other or jump into the conversation when the Elder was addressing the Coven, now that Gin had sat back, effectively dropping out of the conversation and letting the Coven loose to relax, the Marks jumped in at every opportunity they could. Even Kira held a conversation with Shuuhei behind Gin's shoulder. Though again Ururu kept her own counsel, just her presence sitting next to him while they were surrounded by their Coven made the Elder smile genuinely.

As everyone was drawing close to the ends of their drinks, Gin cleared his throat again, calling for everyone's attention. "Yare yare! You bunch 'er noisy t'night." But he was grinning with full teeth now, thoroughly enjoying the camaraderie going on around him. Once he had everyone's undivided gaze, he spoke again, "There's one other matter of business that has to be brought up. We have a new member joining our Coven tonight."

Momo turned her head towards the stairs as the chocolate colored woman who had teased Ichigo descended, followed by her Marks, the blonde, scruffy man, and a petite, sharp-faced woman with black hair pulled back into a pair of wrapped braids. Both Marks walked sedately a few steps behind the female Encantadas, though the woman walked more formally than the man. All three stopped a respectable distance from the table, and sat seiza to address the Coven.

"Greetings from High Council-Female Unohana, Gin-dono." The Encantadas bowed, touching her forehead to the floor at Gin's knees. This motion allowed her Familiar to poke his pink nose out from between her breasts and plop out onto the floor in a tumble of bright yellow paws and tail. The chocolate Encantadas barely held in a chuckle, "Allow me to introduce myself and my companions. I am called Yoruichi. This is my Familiar, Shinji, and behind me are my Marks, Kisuke and Soi Fon." She gestured to the man, then the woman. Daring to raise her eyes from the floor at Gin's feet before being acknowledged she scanned the gathered group. She frowned in confusion and promptly threw out the rules regarding decorum and appropriate behavior, "Oi! Where's the sunset-haired one? She played with us our first night here, and I wanted to thank her for being such a good sport."

"It was fairly mean of you, Yoru-san." The man, Kisuke, murmured with a chuckle.

Ishida nearly choked on his tea, Byakuya raised an eyebrow, Ururu smiled looking down at her drink, and Rukia had to try and hide the burble of laughter threatening to undo her composure in front of the Elder. Kuukaku, on the other hand, actually got up off of her cushion and made her way over to the newcomer to slap her on the back.

"Hey, you're alright, Yoru!" She pulled the darker female into a rough hug, causing her female Mark, Soi Fon, to gasp, but Yoruichi just laughed heartily along with Kuukaku.

For what it was worth, Gin nodded to both Marks and the Familiar, but catching the feline's eye he could tell they were both enjoying the scene being played out. Rules were fine in the right setting but Gin couldn't stand formality when it got in the way of fun. So, even when the biggest affront to the Coven happened, he simply sat there, sipping his cream and grinning.

"Oi! Baka! Don' jus' leave me sittin' here on the floor!" The blonde Familiar padded determinedly up to Yoruichi.

"Ha! As if the floor bothers you, Shin!" She scooped him up and held him between her breasts again.

"That's better. I'm the Familiar, don't fergit it!" He practically grinned out at the other Familiars gathered.

Momo practically had kittens on Gin's shoulder, spitting something about how Gin-sama shouldn't allow such disrespect. Jushiro and Shunsui exchanged a satisfied smirk, and Ganju just had to add to the chaos by pawing up at Kuukaku.

"Oi! How come you don't carry me that way?! Oi! Oi! I'm talking down here." He punctuated each sentence with a paw stretched up to Kuukaku's hip.

She flexed her knee, sending the over large feline tumbling tail over ears until he hit the wall. "Because you're too big, Baka!" Her Familiar groaned, upside down with his tail hanging in his face.

Kuukaku dragged Yoruichi over to the table next to her and proceeded to go drink for drink with the new girl. Kisuke shamelessly began flirting with Rukia, and Kira. Soi Fon sat back somehow in a line with Ishida and Byakuya, appalled at her housemates' behavior. Shinji joined Jushiro and Shunsui in a game of Chase the String as held by Ururu. Shuuhei, Renji, and Senshi set up a sort of Beer Pong game, determined to drink each other under the table. And all the while, Gin relaxed with Momo, sharing cream and drinking in the combined energy of the entire Coven's Hunting since the last meeting. They didn't always gather as a big group, but at times like these, Gin was particularly entertained by the Coven he watched over.

In fact, everyone else was so wrapped up in what they were doing that he was the only one to notice when Ichigo emerged from the back room, accompanied by Orihime and Ulquiorra, looking like death warmed over. The orange hair boy was having trouble maintaining his form. His tail was out, but occasionally going transparent. He didn't bother with shoes as one foot was hoofed and the other wasn't, giving him a lopsided hobble instead of his normally proud walk. He was rubbing his stomach with a bleached and taloned hand, while his other grasped his shoes and hoodie hard enough to poke holes in the many layers of fabric. His shirt was shredded in the back, giving Gin a blatant view of ribs that shouldn't be as defined as they were. And if that wasn't enough, he had dried blood staining his cheek, run through with what could only be tear tracks.

It was plain that something needed to be done to bring their star hunter back from this self-imposed starvation. Maybe being raised by humans was what did it, but he'd never taken it to this extreme before. Feeding on recycled Essence only carried one so far, then one had to Hunt, to feed. As the young Encantadas made his way up the stairs, still unnoticed by all but Gin, the Elder saw something that made everything else pale in comparison. Nestled between the orangette's shoulder blades was a black design; a crescent moon, ringed with a jagged, flame-like halo. It was ringed by similar stars at each of eight points.

Sketching quickly with a claw into the table top, Gin was able to pyrograph the design before the young Encantadas had left his line of sight. Once he had, the Elder turned to contemplate the design he'd burned into the wood of the table. , "Perhaps we should contact Ulquiorra-sama? If any of us would know that symbol, he would." The silver-haired demon mumbled.

Momo cocked her head to the side, "Why? Is it important, Gin-sama?"

"Perhaps, Momo. Perhaps." The Elder tucked his hands into the long sleeves of his traditional white robe, using the bell of fabric on both arms to cover the design. He would bring it up to Byakuya tonight to replace the table, but to the rest of the Coven only after he had conferred with the High Council about it. Oh, yes, things were definitely getting interesting.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Well, that sucked. Apparently my "Previews" file was considered an "announcement" or a "list" and was removed, resulting in a 24-hour ban. Which is why I'm a day late in updating stuff. XD Anyway, here we are. Enjoy, minna!

* * *

Back at Ichigo's apartment, Ulquiorra nosed a cup for tea across the coffee table towards his charge. "You have to drink something, Ichigo. Don't let that Essence sit there by itself, it'll only make the pain worse."

Ichigo groaned and turned to face the back of the couch, his tail was hanging limp over the edge of the cushions to lay on the floor. His back was fully exposed and occasionally his shoulder blades rippled from the force of keeping his wings retracted. Both feet were delicate solid hooves, and all four limbs were furred lightly in pristine white, just like Ulquiorra, from the elbows and knees down. Giving a particularly savage howl, Ichigo threw his head back, his deadly horns tearing through the couch cushions like the fabric was nothing more than tissue paper. His gaze, sightless, staring up at the severely worried countenance of Orihime.

"Ulquiorra-sama, are his eyes supposed to look like that?" She wasn't a particularly old Familiar. Ishida was her first assignment, his previous having been retired due to old age, and this was the first time she'd ever seen a feeding gone wrong as Ishida was happily sated by his Marked Ones, which meant he didn't have to Hunt.

The elder Familiar peered over and sucked a deep breath that was almost a gasp. His charge's eyes were not just the gold of a hungry Encantadas. The sclera had bled a deep red, almost black. The tabby cursed in a language Orihime didn't know, and he disappeared with only a, "Stay!" clipped within the puff of his teleportation smoke.

So, Orihime stayed; watching, waiting, half wishing that something would happen but terrified that her wish would come true. Ichigo twitched a few times but no longer howled or cried out. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, and clutching his belly so tightly that his claws dug into his sides.

It seemed like hours later when Ulquiorra returned, carrying a satchel in his mouth. He appeared in the kitchen and turned on the stove with a bat of his paw. A few minutes later, the water in the teapot was boiling and he dumped the contents of the satchel into it. It steeped for another couple of minutes. That gave the others a chance to make their way to the apartment. Just as Ulquiorra was about to turn off the stove there was knock at the door.

The feline trotted quickly to the entryway and jumped up, flipping the lock open. "Come in." He called. The door opened to reveal Renji, Sado, and Rukia. Ishida, Byakuya, and Shuuhei had gone to the safe house to bring the Target, and would be there shortly.

"Nii-sama said it was bad, Ulquiorra. Where is he?" Rukia made her way to the kitchen to get the brewed hot drink that wasn't exactly tea.

Ulquiorra directed Renji and Sado into the living room. "He's on the couch, Nee-san. Please bring the philter in an easily pourable container. I fear we will have to force him to drink it." He hopped up onto the couch next to Orihime muttering in the same strange language again. Once the Marked Ones took their positions, Renji holding Ichigo's shoulders and Sado holding his powerful legs, Ulquiorra called, "Now, Rukia."

She brought the still steaming beverage in a slim pitcher, just over two cups worth, and stood between the couch and the coffee table.

"On my mark, Rukia pour, Sado hold him down, Renji keep his mouth open. I hope he is not so far gone that he does not react." The cat shook his head and sighed deeply. "Orihime-chan, you may want to not watch this. It is not pretty when one's charge goes feral." The orange yearling gasped at the word but refused to move. "Alright then. Everyone, three, two, one, mark."

Renji squeezed Ichigo's jaw, and was almost dismayed when it popped open immediately. As soon as his mouth was open Rukia poured the almost scalding tincture down his throat. To everyone's terror, Ichigo never moved. He didn't kick his feet, he didn't flail against his captors, he didn't even close his mouth until Renji closed it for him. In fact, he didn't even blink his eyes. All five gathered hung their heads, and simply waited, hoping against hope that the concoction would bring their orangette back from the terrible insanity.

No one knew how long they stayed there, but at some point Rukia sat down and took Ichigo's hand into both of her own. Sado let go of his legs in favor of cuddling a distraught Orihime, and Renji collapsed into the chair at the end of the coffee table that matched the couch. Ulquiorra, for what it was worth, curled up on Ichigo's chest, purring in distress.

Ishida, Byakuya and Shuuhei arrived a little later, dragging an unconscious Grimmjow, who sported the beginnings of a fist-shaped bruise on his temple. Shuuhei grunted, dumping his burden on the other matching chair, "He didn't want to come with us."

"How is he, Ulquiorra-sama?" Ishida adjusted his glasses and his brow creased in worry. The feline could only shake his head, words refusing to come through his intense purring, and the slim male reached out to scratch his ears in much the same manner that Ichigo had comforted Orihime earlier.

Several more hours passed before anyone moved again. As dawn was just breaking the horizon Grimmjow groaned, and instantly Shuuhei, Renji, and Sado were behind him ready to grab the blunette if he so much as thought about bolting for the door. He leaned forward and tried to focus on his feet, which he noticed were lacking the combat boots he knew he'd donned when he left his apartment that night. He frowned and tried to remember what happened. Flexing his right hand he noticed he'd broken the skin on his middle knuckle, and the lion's head ring on his first finger had traces of blood dried into the lion's open mouth. _I was in a fight_? He wondered, and then decided to look up.

"Augh!" He leapt back into the cushions as he caught sight of the people around him. Most of them looked pissed off, but he vaguely remembered one or two of them. Frowning, he focused on the two to either side of him. "You. You two were at that fucked up club." He gripped the arm of the chair with his left hand.

A low cough had him whipping around to meet the steely glares of two of the most effeminate men he'd ever seen. "Glad you could join us, _meshi_-san." The taller one intoned with all the warmth of an Antarctic midnight while the shorter one adjusted his glasses to catch the light of the quickly rising sun in a menacing way.

"Look, I don't want trouble. Whatever ya need, let me know, I'll be glad ta get it fer ya." He brought both hands up in a defensive manner. He didn't like to back down, but he was obviously surrounded, drugged—he thought, and out-numbered, even if a couple of them looked like pansies.

Then the most fucked up part of the night landed on his chest. A cat. Chocolate tabby with white on his face, stomach and down all four legs, and the most intelligent green eyes the blue-haired man had ever seen. The cat's appearance wasn't bad, no, but it spoke!

"Hello, Grimmjow-san."

Staring, wide-eyed, at the feline all he could do was half smile nervously and raise a hand in a wave.

"Please, relax. Everything will go more smoothly if you simply allow us to do what we need to do. Then we will explain everything you want to know." At the Target's continued silence, he pressed further, "My name is Ulquiorra. Please, introduce yourself for my colleagues."

"Uh…" He was still staring at the cat like he'd grown a second head, or, well, like he talked!

Ulquiorra sighed and shook his head. "I see this will take longer than I had hoped. Unfortunately we don't have that long. Please forgive my discarding formality." He drew his paw back and before he struck, Renji and Sado grabbed Grimmjow's arms.

This created a brief struggle where more than just the Target's shirt was sliced, but eventually the blue-haired man's chest was exposed for all to see. Ulquiorra peered closely at the skin of his breastbone and pectorals as though looking for something. It took him a few moments but eventually he found the pinpricks of deep black that were beginning to seep through the pours of the blunette's skin.

"Gah! What the hell is that!?" He gripped the chair again, watching the black emerge in more and more pinpricks.

"That is your Mark, Grimmjow-san." Ulquiorra stated plainly. He sat back on his haunches and just as quickly as the Mark had begun it receded. The cat sighed again, "But it is not complete, and until it is, I fear there is nothing we can do."

"What do you mean complete?" Grimmjow asked, frantically looking from cat to the humans around him to even the steely-silver glare from the tall man standing between him and the couch.

He spoke, "So, there is nothing that can be done for Ichigo, Ulquiorra-sama?"

"No, Byakuya-san. He was unable to complete the Mark. So we cannot draw Essence from Grimmjow-san without his help, and the way he is now? He is too far gone." The Familiar bowed his head, his ears drooping.

All of the gathered looked solemn, so Grimmjow kept the questions rattling around in his head to himself. Obviously something had happened that he was a part of, but damned if he knew what that part was. And Ichigo? Why did that name sound familiar? Before he could finish his thoughts, the door to the apartment opened again.

"Mah! What a gloomy party. S'a good thing ya called me, 'Quio-san." The silver-haired, fox-faced man in the entryway tilted his head with a tight-lipped smile that seemed entirely out of place for such a heavy atmosphere. He crossed the room to smile down at Grimmjow. "Gin at your service, Grimmjow-kun! Ya've get yerself in quite a pickle there, haven't ya?" He placed a finger in the middle of the blunette's chest. A flare of black surrounded his fingertip, like he was pressing against an inkpad, and disappeared again when he stood back up straight. He looked around with his squinted smile, "S'a good thing. Yup. Cuz I happen ta have the cure fer this problem." He brought his smile around to Ulquiorra, "'Quio-san, what's the one way ta git Essence fer a Feral Encantadas?"

The cat seemed confused, and the expression was echoed around the room as he answered, "You drain it through the Mark, but Gin-dono—"

"Exactly!" Gin almost giggled.

"But, Gin-dono," Rukia piped up from where she was kneeling between Byakuya and Ishida. Grimmjow snapped his head down to look at her and frowned when he saw her stroking some sort of white thing with red stripes. The sight of it jogged something in his memory but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, and he realized he was missing explanations.

"—hasn't happened in written history until now!" Gin was speaking, and he gestured to the hallway. A new person stepped into the living room with a grin on his face and his arms crossed over his chest like he owned the place.

"Yo." If it was possible, he grinned wider, as the gathered group stared at him. He was pale; probably hadn't been out in the sun ever in his entire life. His hair was white, but it was his face that had most of the group staring.

Suddenly, Grimmjow's memories kicked into place. "Ichigo! You're that freak from the club!" He was on his feet faster than anyone could blink.

The new person cocked an equally white eyebrow, "I ain't Ichigo, _meshi_, and ya better back off 'fore ya git hurt." He cracked his knuckles. "'Specially wit you talkin' 'bout Aibou that way. T'ain't none o' us freaks, and s'far as I c'n tell, yer the one that's at fault fer all this."

"Fuck you!" Grimmjow tried to haul back and punch the newcomer, but he found his right fist gripped and held back by a pale hand with black fingernails. So he drew his left back, and that was caught as well.

"Feh. Pathetic." The white-haired Ichigo-clone looked over Grimmjow's shoulder at Gin. "Y'sure we need 'im?"

"Yes, Shiro-chan." All the patience in the world went into that statement.

The other snorted, and smirked at Grimmjow. "Ya lucky, Blue. If'n I didn't care as much about Aibou as I do, ya'd be dead fer tryin' ta swing at me. In my Coven we don't tolerate _meshi_ actin' up like this." With that the white-haired newcomer kissed him; fierce, demanding, and dominating. Grimmjow wasn't even given a chance to kiss back, his mouth was forced open and he felt a snake-like tongue invade the wet cavern.

Then, all at once, his chest started burning, and he felt like his very soul was being drawn through the burning sensation. He tried to gasp for air through his nose but couldn't get enough, between the tongue invading his mouth and the fire across his chest. The next thing he knew the tongue was gone, and he was falling. Darkness threatened to cloud his vision and somehow he knew instinctively that falling into that darkness was the worst thing he could do. So, he reached out and grabbed the first thing his hand touched. He landed on his knees, still clutching the whatever-it-was in one hand and his other pressing against his chest.

The world became very narrow and the only thing that pierced through that vision were gold, gold eyes. They were like molten metal, fiery and alive, in a pool of black that had nothing to with the darkness creeping into his mind. It was then that his fingers regained their ability to feel. He ripped his gaze away from the saving gold and saw a hand, white but the nails—claws—were different. A sound he couldn't quite understand brought his eyes back into sync with the gold abyss that threatened to swallow him whole in a way that he just knew was better than the other abyss at the fleeting edges of his mind.

And just like that the burning stopped. He blinked, the world starting to come back into focus, but before it could his eyelids felt made of iron, closing against his will. He was falling again, he knew, but this time, it was different. The abyss was gone, and he was surrounded by gold. Pulsating gold and amber and sunset. It was warm, and the brighter the colors, the more safe he felt—the more balanced and whole. His curiosity made him turn his vision away from the gold again, though his eyes were closed, and everything that was chaos and destruction threatened to steal him from the golden haven. In a panic he flailed into that shining paradise, away from the darkness that promised insanity. One more flash of gold and he knew nothing.


	5. Chapter 5

"Mah!" Gin blinked, at least as much as he usually did, and tilted his smile at Renji, who was supporting the unconscious Grimmjow. "That was a trip!" He looked around at the stunned expressions of the others; even Byakuya looked ragged around the edges.

Rukia leaned against Shuuhei, nursing a twisted ankle. Sado was standing over the newcomer, holding an icepack to the back of the snow-white head; the dent in the wall above them indicating he'd been flung into it. Ishida was cuddling Orihime, who's fur stood on end and eyes darted around the room wildly. The only one with any sense of calm was Ulquiorra, but looking closely, his claws were dug tightly into the cushion of the couch near Byakuya.

The last figure in the room was kneeling in the middle of the circle, panting heavily, his hands dug into the carpet, fisting and relaxing in time with his breathing. His hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and all of his muscles twitched; fingers and toes curling, biceps jumping, the column of muscle around his spine bunched and tight, and a puddle of blood, sweat, tears and ejaculation staining the carpet under him. His horns were gone, his tail nonexistent, claws retracted, hooves had become feet, and the only sign of his wings was again the torn back of his tee shirt.

He had no idea how, where, what or even why he was kneeling in the middle of his living room, surrounded by the closest members of his Coven, and embarrassingly hanging out of his jeans. He didn't remember opening his pants. He didn't remember coming home. He didn't even remember leaving the club.

After catching his breath, he looked up. The first thing he saw was blue. Fear shot him upright and he whipped his gaze around the room. A cold, crawling feeling entered his stomach as he took in the off-balance faces around him. It only grew deeper when he saw Gin, and bottomed out when he saw the white-haired newcomer scowling at him with his own face.

In a very quiet voice, he asked, "I went feral didn't I?" He refocused his attention on the floor beneath him.

"Yeah, ya did, Aibou." The newcomer's voice was soft, and sad. When he didn't get an answer, the white-haired male crawled over to Ichigo to put a hand on his shoulder. "Baka."

Ichigo waited for the blow that didn't come. When he looked up he met the equally gold eyes of his clone. Relief flooded him when he saw nothing but irritation reflected back at him. "Thanks, Shii."

"Heh." The reflection sat back, crossing his arms over his chest again. He eyed Ichigo for a moment, then reached out and clocked him upside the head.

"HEY!" The orangette grabbed his temple, glaring. "Bakamono! What'd ya do that for!?"

"Fer throwin' me inta a wall, dipshit!" The white head threw back.

And then the two were on their feet, forehead to forehead, fists clenched at their sides, growling. They really were reflections. From the way their hair spiked, to the lines of their muscles, to the scowl on both faces.

"Yanno if ya go feral ya can't control yaself!" Ichigo's diction even slipped to mimic the other's.

"Yer the bakamono fer lettin' it git this bad! Ya should've jumped 'im the night ya found 'im!" Pale knuckles cracked and black nail polish was chipped as he clenched his fists tighter.

"I was doin' fine! I didn't need ta feed! I could still control it!" Ichigo growled.

'Shii' scoffed. "Yah, right! That's why I come 'ere an' yer catatonic on the couch. I didn't think ya was stupid, Aibou!"

"What d'ya know?! Ya sit up there in Ma's mansion where the food's brought ta ya!" Ichigo bared his fangs.

'Shii' mimicked him. "Ya could've had that too, yanno! But NO, Ichigo's gotta see the world, gotta find somethin', gotta 'live', he says! Ya took off! Don't blame me it ain't easy!"

"Ya've been on me 'bout that fer years! Let it go! Ya could've come with me!" The orangette shook his head, grinding their foreheads together.

Both reached for the other at the same time, white interlocking with tan, black nails digging into tan skin, clear nails digging into pale skin. Both growled louder, their aura's coming into play; gold on gold.

"I can't stand the sun! Ya know that! I've always hated the sun! And ya wanted me ta do what!?" White pinched tan.

Tan pushed back. "I know! But Damnit! I couldn't just let them give it all ta me. Just cuz it's ours doesn't mean we earned it! We used ta work tagether!"

White growled. "We still do!"

"I know!" Orange roared.

Then without warning both grinned and the grapple became a fierce hug filled with insane laughter and both fell to the floor to the side of Ichigo's mess, which had somehow had a towel placed over it during their argument.

"Kami, Shii, but it's good ta see ya!" Ichigo grinned, leaning against the other.

'Shii' answered the grin, "Yah. We gotta do this more often."

"Uh, somebody wanna fill us in on what's going on, Ichigo?" Renji was the first to intrude on their moment, as he was still holding the unconscious Grimmjow.

The pair on the floor, still wrapped around each other, turned as one to look up at the crimson-haired human. Taking the sight in completely, Ichigo froze, his mouth working without making a sound. He unwrapped a hand from where it was bound up in the tangle with his reflection to reach out towards Grimmjow.

"I—I—I Marked him." He was stunned. In order to touch the blue-haired male he would have to leave his clone's embrace, and it wasn't something he was quite ready to do yet. So, he pulled his hand back, but it was obvious to the others that his fingers itched to touch his new Mark.

The midnight tattoo stood out proudly on the bare chest of the unconscious blunette. A narrow crescent moon, encircled with black flames and surrounded by eight 6-pointed stars. The flesh around each black edge looked wet, like the ink hadn't dried completely, and irritated. It gave the flames a bright red glow.

"Way ta go, Aibou." The white head nuzzled Ichigo's cheek.

"Heh." Ichigo looked dumbfounded. "I Marked him. Shii, I never thought I'd—I mean, you already—and I was—wow. I Marked him."

'Shii' chuckled. "Yeah, Aibou. I know."

A cleared throat brought the two's attention to the other side of the room, where Byakuya and Ishida had perched gracefully on the couch. "I don't mean to interrupt, Ichigo-san, but some of us would like to get some sleep today." Ishida adjusted his glasses, while absently stroking Orihime with his other hand.

"Indeed." Byakuya agreed with the tiniest of nods. "Some of us have yet to fully feed this night." His silver flecked gaze briefly flickered on the towel on the floor, and Ichigo flushed deeply mumbling something about being sorry.

"Hey! Stick-in-the-mud! Leave Aibou alone! 'E's had a rough night!" 'Shii' growled, holding Ichigo closer.

"No, it's alright." Ichigo grumbled. He hated it when others stood up for him. "This is Shirotsuyo; my twin." He kept his gaze averted to avoid the astonishment he knew was sure to come.

"You're twins?!" Rukia shrieked, hobbling over, favoring her ankle. Ichigo frowned at the damage, but kept his silence as she peered down into their faces, trying to see differences beyond coloration.

Ishida was the next to react, in an uncharacteristically uncontrolled outburst, "But th-that's impossible! Encantadas cannot be born as twins! Our very nature prevents it!" He was on his feet and slammed his hand on the coffee table, disregarding the tumble of Orihime onto the floor in his explosion.

Gin's laughter drew everyone back to themselves, including a very flushed Ishida. "Heh! Tha's what's sa great 'bout 'em! They weren't s'posed ta survive, but they did." All eyes turned to the Elder, who'd taken Renji's abandoned seat. "T'ain't my story ta tell. Boys?"

Shirotsuyo scoffed and simply turned his nose back into Ichigo's hair, holding his twin close and ignoring the expectant stares from all around. He hadn't been ordered by the Elder to talk, so he didn't have to. Let the dumbfounded bakas ponder it on their own.

Ichigo didn't agree though, and he sighed, fumbling with the edge of the towel. "Ma and Da were pretty powerful Encantadas. They had a mansion up in the old country. One of those big, classic types with too many rooms and not enough people to use 'em all. But somethin' went wrong. Ulquiorra could tell you better than I could, he was there, but they both went feral on each other." His voice caught, but he felt Shirotsuyo tighten his hold again. It gave him the strength to push ahead. "So, Ulquiorra and Tsu-" His voice hitched again, and again Shirotsuyo gripped him tightly, his pale nose buried deep in Ichigo's orange spikes. "Tsukishima—they saved us. They took us to this human couple, and they took us in, raised us, treated us like we were theirs. Goat Face and Kaa-chan were great." Ichigo's eyes were misty, but he refused to cry. Ichigo didn't cry! Ever! He could feel however, that the reason Shirotsuyo had turned his face away was to keep up his attitude by the way the back of his neck was wet. "So, when we came into our powers as Encantadas, Ulquiorra and Tsu—Tsukishima came back…" He trailed off, still playing with the towel.

Renji set Grimmjow in the chair in which he'd first been placed, and took a seat on the coffee table. "So, you were raised among humans?" Ichigo nodded, his voice caught.

"Wait a sec, who's Tsukishima?" Orihime had reclaimed her place on Ishida's lap when the dark-haired male sat back down.

"He was Ichigo's Familiar." Ulquiorra made his presence known again by padding down the back of the couch to perch, gargoyle-style, on the arm, as the orangette let his hair fall forward to hide his face. Ulquiorra cleared his throat. "He was my partner, and I couldn't leave Ichigo without a Familiar in the real world. So, I left my charge, Shirotsuyo, and went with Ichigo."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at that. "It was explained to me that once a Familiar has chosen a charge that they cannot change charges until one or the other of them dies?"

"Ordinarily, yes, but in the case of twins there are some special rules." Gin spoke softly, drawing all of the attention again. "Look over Shirotsuyo an' Ichigo an' tell me if ya c'n tell where one ends an' the other begins?"

Rukia gasped. "Their auras are identical! They're seamlessly meshed. How can that be?"

"It happens because they are twins." Ulquiorra turned to look at the enthralled female, his tone implying that it should be obvious.

Sado, normally stoic and content to sit in the background, tilted his head. "This has happened before. With twins. Hasn't it, Kakka?"

Gin answered before Ishida could even finish swallowing whatever reprimand he was planning. "Excellent deduction, Sado-kun! I always knew ya was smart!" He looked around at the others, "Really! Why dun't ya Marks speak up more? They've always got great stuff ta say."

Shuuhei, emboldened by Sado's acceptance, cleared his throat. "So, what now?"

"Well, Ichigo and his Mark need some time to bond fully. Grimmjow will be unconscious for a while. Ichigo, you really drained him. Let us endeavor not to let it get that bad again." Ulquiorra gave the orangette the feline equivalent of a reprimanding raised eyebrow.

"Shii doesn't have to leave yet, does he?" Ichigo looked a little panicked between Ulquiorra and Gin, much to the surprise of the rest of his nakama.

"No, Aibou, I don't hafta leave til tamarrah." The white haired duplicate nuzzled his twin again, a very private gesture that those watching felt privileged to see.

With that Byakuya stood and gestured to Renji. "Then I and my own shall take our leave of you, Ichigo-san. Gin-dono." He bowed deeply, and left, expecting his Mark to follow. He was not disappointed.

"See ya, guys." Renji gave a low bow to Gin as well, and scurried after his _Shujin_.

"I guess that's our cue too, huh, Rukia?" Shuuhei asked, peering around the petite female's shoulder with a small smile. "We can come back after we sleep." It would seem as though their positions were reversed, but Shuuhei knew his _Shujin_. She'd never leave unless he said something.

She crossed her arms over her chest, and clearly pouted, wanting to stay and pry more into Ichigo's past. She was clearly fascinated by this twin that she'd never met before, and how he fit into everything and well, everything! She huffed, and simply stalked out the door after her Nii-sama, forgetting her manners in her displeasure. Shuuhei followed after her with a rueful smile on his face and a mumbled apology to Gin.

Ishida and Sado lingered a moment longer while Orihime gently cleaned her paws, deliberately trying to stay with Ulquiorra as long as possible. Gin laughed softly at the young Familiar, and the object of her affection rolled his emerald eyes tolerantly. He rewarded her by licking behind her ears a few times, but no one said anything to the pair still curled up together on the floor. They left right after that.

It was less than a minute later when Gin stood and crossed the room. He placed a hand on each boy's head, "Be good, boys." He gave them a grin, and a peek of red iris before taking himself out the door, locking it as he left.

Without another word, Shirotsuyo extracted himself to heft Grimmjow over to the couch. Now it was obvious what the difference was between the twins. Which made Ichigo cock his head to the side. "Shii, do you ever run as female?"

"Nah. Kenpachi might like it, but I know Tesla would die if I gave this up." He deliberately grabbed his crotch, making Ichigo roll his eyes and flush.

"Pft. You are such a pervert!" The orangette gathered up the towel from the floor, and tossed the mess into the laundry hamper.

"You're one to talk, Aibou. I'm not the one that went the whole evening with my fly undone." The white head laughed loudly as Ichigo scrambled to zip the offending opening closed, as if that would make up for having been indecent in front of his Elder.

Ulquiorra shook his head, chuckling lightly. The two boys never did notice him when they were together. So he curled up on Grimmjow's toned stomach for a nap. While it was true that it would be a while before the blunette woke, it would be better if he was not left alone, and the feline was certain that once the boys had cleaned up the living room they would be retiring to Ichigo's bedroom. Sure as the whiskers on his face, the twins finished what they were doing with more playful banter, and exited to Ichigo's bed without so much as a backward glance at either Grimmjow or Ulquiorra. The cat sighed and simply covered his nose with his tail.

* * *

**A/N:** The next chapter may be late, it depends on what kinds of inspiration I have over the course of the next week. I'm working with my partner, Silver Eternity, on a brand new collab that I'm hoping to have posted to our join account, Silver Rainbow Six, next weekend. Ja ne, minna!


End file.
